Device for checking horses



(MOGBL) J. F. WILSON.

DEVICE FOR CHECKING HORSES.

No. 248,877. Patented Oct. 18,1881.

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IlNrrao STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. WILSON, OF NORTH HYDE PARK, VERMONT.

DEVICE FOR CHECKING HORSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,377, dated October 18, 1881.

Application filed July 20, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. WILSON, of North Hyde Park, in the county of Lamoille and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Device for Checking Horses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification,in which- Figure 1 is a side view ofa carriage provided with my invention. Fig.2 is a bottom-plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a sectional view taken on the line an ac, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a view of the same and fixed collar and devices for connecting them.

Similar letters ofreferencein the several figures denote the same parts.

My invention has for its object to provide improved means for checking horses and preventing them from running away when left to stand; and to this end it consists in a device of novel construction, arranged to operate sub stantially as I will now proceed to describe.

Referring to tbe'drawings, A represents the floor ofthe body ofa carriage or buggy; B, the springs; C, the rear axle, and D D the wheels. The inner end of the hub of one of the wheels is provided with a gear rim or pinion, E, that is adapted to engage with a smaller pinion, F,

on a cross-shaft, G, supported in arms 9 g, pro-,

jectiug forwardly from the rear axle. Upon this shaft G, between its two supporting-arms,

is mounted a drum, H, connected to which is a strap, I, that extends up through a slot, J, in the floor of the body, as shown. The shaft G is capable ofa longitudinal or endwise movement to enable its pinion to be thrown into and out of engagement with the pinion E, and the means employed for efiecting such longitudinal movement consist of a bell-crank lever, K, pivoted to the innermost of the armsg and loosely connected to the inner end of the shaft G, a connecting-rod, L, and a hand-lever, M, projecting up through the floor of the body and fulcrumed to the same, all as shown in Fig. 2. When the hand-lever is pushed forward the shaft G is moved longitudinally inward, and pinionsE and F are thrown out ofengagement; but upon thehand-lever being pulled backward the outward movement of the shaft and the engagement of the two pinions take place.

(Model) In order to prevent unpleasant rattling of the parts when the shaft is moved inward out of operation, I preferably provide rubber collars 0r stops N N, fixed to the shaft and adapted to bear, against the supporting-arms g g, as shown in Fig. 2. This provision renders the attachment noiseless when not in use. 7

The operation of the device is as follows: When the vehicle stops, the driver, instead of hitching the horse to a post or other object, ties or otherwise connects the reins to the outer end of the strap I and pulls the handle of the hand lever so as to throw the pinion F into mesh with the pinion This being done the horse can be left to stand alone, and if he attempts to start the turning of the wheels of the vehicle will set the shaft G into rotation and cause the strap I to be wound upon the drum H, and thus draw upon the reins and check the horse. To throw the attachment out of operation the driver has only to shift the lever again, as will be readily understood.

The drum H may be fixed directly to the shaft by a pin or other contrivance, if desired; but I prefer to mount it loosely upon the shaft and to form a recess in its side for the reception of aheaded pin, 1, and of a spring, I, that is adapted to press said pin outward into one or the other of two or more circular tapering shouldered recesses or grooves, Z 1 in the proximate side face of a collar, H, fixed rigidly to the shaft. By this mode of connection, when the vehicle moves forward the shoulder of one or the other of the recesses in the fixed collareugages with the head of the pin 1 and rotates the drum positively backward; but when the vehicle is backed the pin traverses the slots and clicks past the shoulders, like a pawl, the spring behind it yielding for such purpose, thereby causing the drum to stand still, instead of rotating, while the shaft rotates forward. A pin, in, passing through the shaft outside of the drum, prevents the lateral movement of the latter on the shaft.

The shaft may be adapted to be driven from both wheels of the vehicle, if desired, but ordinarily this will not be found necessary.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- The combination of the pinion E on the hub of the carriage-wheel, the longitudinally-movable shaft G, the pinion F on the end of said vehicle, and the means for throwing the shaft shaft-,the drum H,loosely1nountedon theshaft, into or out of operation, all constructed and but prevented from longitudinal movement arranged substantially as described.

thereon by a fixed collar, H, having the eir- JOHN F. WILSON.

cular tapered shouldered grooves l l, the Witnesses: headed pin 1, and spring Z,with the strap lead A. B. SMITH, ing from the drum up through the floor of the Gr. \V. CLARK. 

